as in ruses
a clever often underhanded means to achieve an end
had to use all of her wiles to convince her guests to stay for dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in charms
to attract or delight as if by magic
her stories of the Old South could wile anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wiles
Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Jimin Han’s graceful novel reimagines the legend of Chunhyang and Mongryong, Korea’s version of Romeo and Juliet, as 30-year-old Dahee seeks to protect her cousin Channing from the wiles of a Korean American community in New England.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 4 Apr. 2026
A’zion, as the protagonist’s married lover, who can match his manipulative wiles beat for beat, conveys an exciting, bittersweet sense of the wheels turning beneath deceptive surfaces.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Determined to find their way back to their humans, the wise Shadow, the sarcastic Sassy, and the impulsive Chance attempt to navigate their way home using only their wiles and each other.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
That Hedda has forged such a life for herself is a testament to her wiles — no one is more adept at delivering acidic barbs cloaked by a friendly hand on the shoulder.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Seeing Laura’s discomfort with her, Cherry employs her feminine wiles to cause a fracture in Laura and Daniel’s connection.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
The format has an all-powerful ‘Taskmaster’ who, with the help of a loyal assistant, tests the wiles of a panel of comedians over the course of each series by setting them weird and wonderful challenges.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026
Jimin Han’s graceful novel reimagines the legend of Chunhyang and Mongryong, Korea’s version of Romeo and Juliet, as 30-year-old Dahee seeks to protect her cousin Channing from the wiles of a Korean American community in New England.
—Hamilton Cain, Time, 4 Apr. 2026
A’zion, as the protagonist’s married lover, who can match his manipulative wiles beat for beat, conveys an exciting, bittersweet sense of the wheels turning beneath deceptive surfaces.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Determined to find their way back to their humans, the wise Shadow, the sarcastic Sassy, and the impulsive Chance attempt to navigate their way home using only their wiles and each other.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
That Hedda has forged such a life for herself is a testament to her wiles — no one is more adept at delivering acidic barbs cloaked by a friendly hand on the shoulder.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 28 Oct. 2025
Seeing Laura’s discomfort with her, Cherry employs her feminine wiles to cause a fracture in Laura and Daniel’s connection.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wiles
Noun
-
They are accused of using several ruses to force their way into people’s homes, assaulting unsuspecting residents and holding them hostage for their own money, and demanding access to their crypto accounts.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
14 May 2026
-
Kids will quickly see through her ruses.—
Elise Broach,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One part of the show that didn’t align with this viewpoint was the casting of Tanzyn Crawford as Tanselle, a traveling performer from Dorne who charms Dunk, and some on social media have griped about the actress being in the show.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
-
As Sophie Baek, the Cinderella-style housemaid of illegitimate birth who charms the latest eligible Bridgerton bachelor, Ha is exquisite.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The most productive college players do not necessarily make the best pros—football is an endlessly interconnected game, with twenty-two players interacting within complicated strategic schemes, and the quality of collegiate competition varies widely.—
Dan Greene,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
-
The Institute observed that a UBI program did not necessarily cause inflation; delivery system strength is key; an effective communication strategy is essential; the UBI program should fit within existing schemes; and crises shed light on the gaps in social protection systems.—
Carrie Brandon Elliot,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
With symphonic works, chamber delights, and operatic thrills on the calendar, here are three of the highlights.—
Randy McMullen,
Mercury News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
In the Jobs era, the Apple ecosystem was its biggest competitive advantage — Cook doubled down on it, with all devices working seamlessly together.—
Vitaliy Katsenelson,
Fortune,
14 May 2026
-
Despite their tiny size, the devices delivered some of the strongest efficiencies reported for ultrathin perovskite solar technology.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
At the moment, Philadelphia fascinates me most, a Play-In team that has enough talent to make a run to the finals.—
Chris Branch,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
-
Precious artifacts have been recently unearthed from the site that fascinates scholars worldwide.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
From that moment on, people in Cuba have been unable to access El Estornudo except through technological tricks like VPNs and proxies that alter their geolocation.—
Abraham Jiménez Enoa,
The Dial,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Frankly, this isn’t something that interests me, but it’s bound to grab folks who pour hundred of hours into Horizon.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
14 May 2026
-
Trump sees reality through a keyhole that shows him only what interests him.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wiles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wiles. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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